Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are definitely among my favorite foods. We have them at least twice a week and I love using them for all sorts of curries, pasta, and spreads. And hummus of course! This time, I made an Italian vegan garbanzo bean soup with tomatoes, carrots, celery, fennel, spinach, and lots of fresh parsley. This vegan soup is not only packed with flavor but it’s also super healthy and easy to make. I usually don’t eat soups in the summer, but I could really imagine eating this Italian chickpea tomato soup in the warmer seasons as well. But of course, it’s also a great flu fighter for colder fall days. I just love Italian food and its abundance of fresh veggies!
When I first tried hummus, I wasn’t exactly sure if I liked it or not. I must admit I wasn’t overly crazy about it and I didn’t get why so many people loved chickpeas. It wasn’t until years later that I gave it another try and made some at home and all of a sudden I couldn’t get enough of it anymore! It was so much better than the store-bought hummus I first tried! Garbanzo beans really have become a staple in my diet since then. Like most legumes, they’re a great source of protein and fiber and contain many important vitamins and minerals. Roasted chickpeas are also a great snack for lazy movie nights. Just put them on a baking sheet, season them with your favorite spices, and snuggle up on the couch. So, I mean what is there not to love about chickpeas?!
The Italian vegan garbanzo bean soup comes together in only 30 minutes and it’s a great make-ahead dinner. I always think that soups are better the day after because then their flavor is even stronger. First, cut the onion, the carrots, the celery, and the fennel into medium-sized chunks. Heat some olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion and some garlic for a couple of minutes. Then add the veggies except for the chickpeas, spinach, and the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
Stir in a can of diced tomatoes, the chickpeas, and three cups of vegetable broth. Cook for about 15 minutes, then add the cherry tomatoes and the spinach and season with fresh parsley, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. We enjoyed the soup together with some whole wheat bread.
It’s already getting really cold here, so I can’t get enough of soups and hearty stews. If you give this vegan chickpea soup a try, let me know how you liked it. As always, I love hearing from you guys!
Hope you all have a great and relaxed weekend! Talk to you soon! xx
PS: My friends over at Crazy Vegan Kitchen just launched a brand new line of vegan apparel with funny vegan slogans on T-shirts and hoodies. I haven’t seen anything like that before, so if you’re looking for a creative present for vegans or vegetarians they would be perfect. They just started with a couple of T-shirts (they are several different styles and each style only has about 10-20 print tops), so make sure to check them out soon, as the shop is only open till October 27 for now. :-)
| Prep Time | 8 minutes |
| Cook Time | 22 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, cut into medium-sized chunks
- 3 stalks celery, cut into medium-sized chunks
- 1 fennel bulb, cut into thin slices
- 1 15,5 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1 14, 5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- about 15 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 2 hand full of fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Ingredients
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Rate this recipe!
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- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic, the carrots, the celery, and the fennel. Cook for about 4 minutes.
- Stir in a can of diced tomatoes, the chickpeas, and three cups of vegetable broth. Cook for about 15 minutes. Then add the cherry tomatoes and the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Season with fresh parsley, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
I’m a vegan and this looks so delicious. I think it would be perfect to make now during Fall season. Thanks for sharing. I have pinned it!
Thanks for sharing, Rosalyn! So glad you like it! :-)
Yummy! I love soup…all kinds of soup…any time of year! This looks delicious!
Thanks, Jenn! :-)
My toddler loves soup and beans, she would love this! We are a vegetarian family too so this is right up our alley.
So great to hear that you guys like it, Hil! :-)
this post, and this soup, are like a love letter to the chickpea! one of my favorites too.
Haha! They really are, Kristina! I absolutely love them! :-)
This may be vegan but it looks so hearty and lots of flavor.
Thanks, Peter! I always love hearty vegan food! :-)
If you can get me craving soup, you’ve done one fantastic job ;) Yum!
Thanks for the compliment, Rebecca! ;-)
This looks so amazing Sina! My mom makes a garbanzo bean soup but a little different than this. I will have to try this one! We love soups and love garbanzos!!
Thanks, Sophia! :-) Let me know how you guys liked it!
Chickpeas are the best right?! I go back and forth with hummus though – sometimes I love, sometimes not so much – but chickpeas I always love and they’re so good in soups! YUM
Glad you like the recipe, Vicky! I absolutely know where you’re coming from. I don’t really like store-bought hummus or at least not all of it, but I always love homemade one! :-)
This looks SO good!! I love really heart delicious soups.. This is going on my list of recipes to try!
Thanks, Liz! :-)
That soup looks amazing and your photos are fantastic..
Thanks, Valerie! :-) So glad you like it.
I could eat garbanzo beans every day of the week. This soup looks so delicious, Sina!
Thanks, Linda! Me too! I absolutely love them! :-)
Looks delicious! I love garbanzo beans and soup so the combination of them together sounds delicious!
Thanks, Christina! :-)
Might make a substitute of lentils—can’t get enough lentils! Great dish for “meatless Mondays.”
Great idea, Rae! I’m sure it’s also super delicious with lentils! :-)
Yum! I’ve just recently developed a love affair with chickpeas, I put them on everything!. Hehe I love hummus, and I know I will love this soup too. Beautiful pictures, Sina, it makes me want to dive right into the bowl and eat my way out!
Haha! I think I share this love affair, Stacey! ;-) So glad you like the recipe!
this one looks delicious! we use carrots & garbanzo beans often, i might love to try this at home!
Thanks, Priya! I just can’t get enough of garbanzo beans! I put them on everything. :-)
I love the garbanzo bean and this is a wonderful tribute to it and all its friends!
Haha! Thanks so much, Kelly! :-)
I love chickpeas :) This soup looks amazing and is o full of nutrients!
Me too, Sherri! They’re one of my faves! :-)
I love gorbanzo beans, and can have them anytime. This soup sounds so delicious, especially in those chilly winter days.
Thanks, Kam Kay! Glad you like it! Me too, I can never get enough of them. :-)
This soup looks perfect for a chilly fall evening. I love all of the healthy veggies you incorporated into the soup.
Thanks, Sandi! :-)
I love all the fresh flavors! A great way to use chickpeas, and I can never have too many of those :)
Me neither, Gin! They’re so good! I put them on everything – salads, pasta, and of course in soups. :-)
This is a great looking soup. Great for autumn and the cooler weather coming on. Any soup with garbanzo beans is going to be good. Nice photos too.
Thanks so much, Mark! I just love garbanzo beans and you’re right I can’t imagine a soup with them that wouldn’t be good! :-)
This soup looks so cold weather perfect! I love the tomato based, and with a big hunk of bread it would be so satisfying. I actually picked up a can of chickpeas at the store yesterday because after reading this and seeing your delicious soup they were on my mind…such a versatile little legume :)
Thanks, Natalie! Chickpeas are one of my faves! I love putting them on salads or using them for pasta! Oh and hummus of course! And soups :D
I love soups like this! Hearty, warm, tasty, filling, delicious! If autumn and winter are good for something then it’s tasty soups!! :-)
Thanks, Howie! :-) Haha, you’re right. I don’t like fall and winter at all, but at least we get to eat delicious soups!
Soup is my favorite food and this one looks so delicious, colorful and full of flavor Sina! Love all the veggies you got going on! I’m hungry now!
Thanks, Brandi! I only like soup in the colder seasons, but then I can’t get enough of it! :-)
AMAZING photos for a stunning, absolutely divine looking recipe for bean soup. Definitely on the to-make list!
Thanks, Levan! :-) Let me know if you guys give it a try.
I love a warm soup for these cold months ahead! I prefer smooth soups instead of chunky. Do you think this would still taste ok if I blended it?
Beth x
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Hi Beth, Yes I think this would work. Maybe leave out the spinach (I guess it would give it quite an ugly color ;-) ), but the rest should be fine. :-) If you give it a try, let me know how it turned out. :-)
This looks delicious! The temps are finally dropping here and I need to make this for Miss M. She LOVES a good soup.
Thanks, Linh! Let me know how Miss M liked it! :-)
Oooo Sina this looks amazing. I love a good, hearty veggie soup. Despite my husband’s disapproval, I add spinach to every soup I make too ;)
Thanks so much, Chrissa! :-) Haha! Oh yeah, I love adding spinach to soups and pasta too!
If I want to use dried garbanzo beans, how much should I use?
Hi Judith, I’m sorry I haven’t tried the recipe with dried garbanzo beans yet, so unfortunately I can’t really help you with this question. But I think they triple in weight when they’re cooked, so maybe that helps? Let me know if you give it a try. :-)
I’m not a huge soup eater…but my Dad is :) Saved for him!! Thanks for sharing :)
Hope your dad likes it, Samantha! I don’t care for soups from March to September, but in the colder months I just love them! :-)
Your pictures are so bright and crisp! And this soup would be such a comforting meal during the upcoming cold dreary days!
Thanks, Abeer! :-) I don’t like the colder seasons at all, but at least we get to eat yummy soups! :-)
Stunning beyond measure – bean soup is perfect for the season! Authentic Italian recipe too!
Thanks, Levan! :-)
Looks fabulous. The second step is confusing.
Stir in a can of diced tomatoes, the chickpeas, and three cups of vegetable broth. Cook for about 15 minutes. Then add the chickpeas and the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Are the chickpeas added with the tomatoes or with the spinach?
Thanks!
Oh I’m so sorry about that, Ann! I just fixed it. The chickpeas are added with the diced tomatoes, and the cherry tomatoes with the spinach. I must have somehow confused that when I typed the recipe. Thanks for letting me know! Enjoy the soup! :-)